New York, New York
by coldheartscoldersongs
Summary: Written for the Newsies Pape Selling Competition. Movie!David meets musical!Jack in modern day NYC. Task: two newsies meet in a Broadway theater. Prompt used: "This shouldn't be possible". Word count: 750.


David woke up to a blaring noise. As he took in the scene, he felt rain falling on his face and the hard ground beneath him. He was still in New York, but it looked so different from the New York he'd fallen asleep in. Strange machines swarmed the roads and people in odd clothing were all around him. He walked into the nearest building, hoping to make some sense of the situation.

He had walked into a theater, where the audience was in the middle of a standing ovation. When the applause died down, said audience began to vacate the theater.

"Excuse me," David asked a stranger. "What year is it?"

The stranger looked as if he'd asked the most obvious question. "2015?"

No. There was no way. "Thank you." Among the crow, David found a boy who was dressed like him and looked just as confused as he did.

"Do you know what's going on?" David asked him/

"Nope. One minute I'm New York with Katherine, she's my friend, and it's 1899. The next minute, I'm in New York and it's 2015. 2015!"

"_I'm _from New York in 1899! David Jacobs, what's your name?"

The boy's eyes grew wide. "Jack Kelly."

The world stopped. "This shouldn't be possible," David whispered. "You're not _my _Jack."

"You're not my David. Maybe we're from opposite worlds?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

Jack scoffed. "You may not be my Davey, but you sure sound like him. If this is possible, do opposite worlds really seem far fetched?"

David sighed. "I guess not. How do we get back to our own times and worlds?"

"I don't know, I just woke up here."

The gears started spinning inside David's head. "Maybe that's our way out. If we fall asleep, we can go back. Have you slept since you woke up here?"

Jack shook his head. "No."

"Then it's worth a try."

After spending a few hours trying to navigate through the future New York, David and Jack found a homeless shelter. Anyone without a place to go could have a meal and a bed for free.

"They don't have many of these in my New York," David said. "But maybe they should. It would help people."

"Me either," Jack agreed. "My New York is all about who's got the fanciest life."

They checked in with a woman named Cindy. To get the meals and beds, the boys had to lie about their ages and say that they were eighteen. Cindy led them to a room full of tables. They claimed a spot and waited in a line to get a sandwich and a bowl of soup.

"This is so good," Jack said between bites. "I don't think I've ever had a meal like this."

"We haven't had big meals since my dad lost his job at the factory," David said. "My brother Les and I have to work cause he can't."

"Same as my Davey! Maybe our opposite worlds aren't so opposite."

David smiled. "Maybe."

After their meal, David and Jack got to bathe, but not in a regular bathtub. They had to stand up the whole time; the practice had been referred to as a shower.

"People in 2015 sure are obsessed with these showers and being clean an all," Jack commented. "But it could be worse. They all smell pretty good."

Due to their exhaustion, they crawled into bed, even though the excitement of a strange new world kept them awake.

"David?"

"Yeah?"

"When we go back, if this works, anyway, we'll never see each other again. What if we don't remember this?"

"I'll remember it."

"Even then, we can't tell anyone. The guys will think we're outta our minds."

"Good point. But on the bright side, we saw something they'll never see. It was pretty cool, too. And I met a different version of the boy I love."

"Same here."

"I'm glad I got to meet you, other Jack Kelly."

"I'm glad I got to meet you too, other Davey Jacobs. Night."

"Night. If we don't see each other again, I hope you lead the best damn strike Pulitzer's ever seen."

"You too?"

David grinned. "You bet."

This time, David woke up in his bed in his New York. He was glad to be back, but a little sad that his futuristic adventure was over. Les ran over to his side of their room. "Jack's here."

David smiled. "I'll be out in a minute. Tell him I say good morning."


End file.
